Governor appoints Shrum and Loughridge to cabinet
Posted on: 3/22/19
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced last week his appointment of Dr. Kayse Shrum as the secretary of science and innovation and Jerome Loughridge as secretary of health and mental health. Both cabinet positions require Senate confirmation.
“Jerome Loughridge and Dr. Kayse Shrum are going to make a dynamic team on the cabinet focusing on government reform and the intersection of science, health and innovation to make Oklahoma top ten,” said Stitt. “As secretary of health, Jerome will bring his wealth of experience and success in the private sector as well as public policy to help us realign our agencies and make government customer-centered in the delivery of services surrounding health and mental health. Dr. Shrum will bring a strong network and wealth of knowledge around the areas of medicine, science, and the intersection of innovation to propel Oklahoma’s economy forward.”
“Governor Stitt has nominated a successful, business-minded leader in Jerome Loughridge,” said OHA President Patti Davis. “Oklahoma’s health care industry employs more than 215,000 professionals and has an impact of roughly $11.8 billion annually. Many of the challenges we face in the health care sector, like repairing our rural health infrastructure and decreasing the number of uninsured Oklahomans, can be resolved with the kind of common-sense vison Mr. Loughridge has shown throughout his career. We look forward to working with him and the Stitt administration to make Oklahoma a healthier state with a greater quality of life.”
“Dr. Shrum has been a visionary leader at OSU and her track record of success speaks for itself,” said Davis. “Oklahoma stands to benefit greatly from her experience and her use of innovative technologies and strategies to improve our health care systems.”
Dr. Shrum is a native Oklahoman. She earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and has completed executive leadership and management training programs at Harvard University and Stanford University. In 2013, Dr. Shrum was named president of OSU-CHS, becoming the youngest and first female president and dean of a medical school in the state of Oklahoma. She joined the medical school faculty at OSU Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) in 2002. In 2011, she was named provost of OSU-CHS and dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and served in that capacity until her promotion to president in 2013.
Under her leadership, student enrollment at the OSU Center for Health Sciences has more than doubled as new academic programs have been established to meet the health care workforce needs of Oklahoma. She also spearheaded the creation of Oklahoma’s largest and most technologically advanced hospital simulation center. A strong supporter of collaborative partnerships, President Shrum worked with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker and his administration to establish the nation’s first tribally affiliated medical school, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation. President Shrum has also launched award-winning high school recruiting programs like Operation Orange and Blue Coat to White Coat, established the Rural Medical Track curriculum, and expanded the number of residency training programs in Oklahoma by securing support from the Oklahoma Legislature.
Loughridge is a native of Duncan, Oklahoma, and received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in 1995. Following a year at Children’s Memorial Medical Center in Chicago, Loughridge attended Harvard University, where he earned his Master of Public Policy degree in 1998. In 2000, he became chief of staff at Baylor University. In 2003, Loughridge was selected to the White House Fellowship, the nation’s preeminent program for leadership and public service. While a Fellow, he served as special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld, traveling to Baghdad to help coordinate the transition of the Green Zone from wartime headquarters to America’s largest foreign embassy.
Loughridge began a career in the energy sector in 2006 and has maintained executive leadership positions in the oilfield services segment since. He first served as chief operating officer of Great White Energy Services. In 2009, Loughridge became president of Black Mesa Energy Services, and since 2012, Loughridge has served as president of Great Plains Oilfield Rental.
Fluent in Spanish, Loughridge maintains an ongoing commitment to mission and humanitarian activity, regularly traveling to Central America and East Africa, where he has taught in universities and remote villages and has helped coordinate rural health care delivery through temporary clinics.